put on the suit, let's go a few rounds

octavia-augusta:

30 Day Final Fantasy XIII-2 Challenge

Day 3: Favorite Couple [SPOILERS]

I skipped a couple of days because of feelings because goddamn Noel/Serah is a thing that exists and it feels like being surrounded by all of the cutest baby animals. Even now, I am listening to the fanmix that I made for them and trying not to cry over the brilliance that is Noel/Serah.

So, I first came to shipping this through some graphics that people were posting on here before the game came out. I was reluctant to ship it because of reasons that I will elaborate on when I cover my favorite male character. However, as you know, I was sucked in. And having finished the game, I don’t know how you can’t ship this.

I have always had problems with Snow/Serah. Snow is a very brash and arrogant individual, which I have never liked in anyone whether they are fictional or not. Although I do believe that Snow loves Serah in his own way, I don’t see him being concerned about what she desires for herself. He takes much of her agency away from her by making decisions without any of her input and not even asking her what she would like to do or how she would approach the situation. What I am specifically alluding to is when Snow leaves Serah to go find Lightning. Never once are we shown them having a discussion over whether Serah even wants to come with him. He never even asked. He sees himself as the hero, solving all of everyone’s problems. But this is such the wrong approach to take. You must let people solve their own problems. Not only that, but you must believe that they can. If they want help, they will ask for it. What did Snow believe Serah was capable of? That is a question that I continually ask myself. Lightning is Serah’s sister. I would think that Serah would have an opinion about Snow’s solo adventure to find her only living family member.

I can tell you right now that if I were with someone like Snow, I would leave him. There is no way that anyone that I am with would get away with not communicating with me and not asking me what I want. The very foundation of a strong and lasting relationship is communication.

And then comes Noel, someone who ignites in Serah a confidence in herself to essentially come out of this shell that people have fabricated around her. She is tired of being protected and I wonder if she had ever let Snow know about that. Too many people, including Snow, treat Serah like precious and fragile cargo, someone who needs to constantly be looked after and shielded from harm. Serah, in deciding to embark on this journey with Noel, seems to do something that she has never really done before. She is doing something for herself. She is making decisions for herself. That moment when she made that decision was a remarkable act of courage. Other than Noel and Mog, she would be on her own. No Lightning. No Snow. But she went anyway.

Even though Noel promised to not let anything bad happen to her, even though he most likely had his doubts about Serah’s strength, I truly believe that he came to respect Serah. I believe he found her perfectly capable of anything that she set her heart to. Only when her life was in danger did he move to shield her. His first thought seemed to be her safety and this was incredibly heartwarming in many moments. In the split seconds that he had the choice to save himself, he chose to protect her. However, outside of dangerous situations, he let her fight and I think he came to believe in her abilities. It doesn’t seem like he ever thought her incapable of protecting herself. They also came to depend on one another. Even though we have no idea how long they were gone, it is safe to say that it was a considerable amount of time. Seeing that they were only in the company of one another for such a long while, it is hard to imagine the two not growing extremely close.

In fact, when we look at how Noel reacted when Serah died, it is not too far of a reach to suggest that there were feelings beyond partnership and friendship between them, at the very least on Noel’s end. He caresses her face, gently moves her hair aside, and hugs her to his chest. All of these actions point toward Noel caring deeply for Serah. He understood and accepted the choice she made. She knew what might happen to her and instead of fighting with her or trying to save her from her fate (certain paradox endings aside), he accepted her decision because he trusted that she was mature and knowledgeable enough to make it on her own and stood by her until the very end.

In her last moments, Serah thanks Noel. For what exactly, we can only surmise. The way she gazes at him in those moments, though, are crucial. I clearly remember feeling as if she admired him, loved him, and trusted him. I remember thinking that she was thanking him because he had been the first to encourage her to go on their adventure and he was unwavering in his loyalty to their partnership and their goals and he helped her achieve what she had so passionately desired.

In the “Fate and Freedom” paradox ending, Serah, instead of trying to remember both Noel and Mog, specifically focuses on Noel. Mog is not even mentioned. And although Mog certainly became important to her, too, it is undeniable that that scene solidified the significance of Noel in Serah’s life.

In “A Giant Mistake,” Serah chooses to stay by Noel’s side and defeat the giants, even when the odds are obviously piled against them. It is even heavily implied that they die together in trying to achieve their dream of a better future. What is most compelling about this scene is when Serah explains that she will stay and Noel is staring at her in such a way that makes me think that he admired her strength, her hope, and her perseverance more then than at any other time. She continually showed Noel that she was worthy of such admiration.

What most attracts me to this ship are the possibilities. I see Noel and Serah as really providing for each other someone that is simultaneously challenging and a catalyst for further personal growth. I see them being far more communicative than I ever saw Snow and Serah being and I see it as a much more egalitarian relationship. I see them loving each other deeply, fighting for each other and their loved ones. I see them making the world a better place through their joint efforts.

My hope is that Serah isn’t actually dead or if she is, she won’t be for long. She deserves to be with Lightning. She deserves happiness. She deserves to be with someone who respects her, trusts her, believes in her, and doesn’t infantilize her. Serah is a capable and exceptional woman. I’d like to believe that Noel thought of her as just that.